Kevin McCarthy elected House speaker following raucous debate proceedings


Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was elected speaker of the House of Representatives just past midnight on Saturday morning, finally garnering enough votes on the 15th ballot following a period of heated and at times physically charged in-fighting within the Republican Party.
The election process, which began this past Tuesday, marked the first time in a century that the majority party was unable to elect a speaker on the first ballot. While McCarthy had previously been seen as a shoo-in for the job, the GOP's underwhelming performance during the midterm elections cast a shadow over his ability to helm his side of the aisle.
Despite McCarthy always having a large majority of the Republican votes, a number of notable holdouts, including Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) had stifled the California representative's bid to claim the gavel. It seemed that McCarthy kept losing again, and again, and again, until he began to offer concessions during a series of behind-the-scenes negotiations with his opponents.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The New York Times reported that former President Donald Trump personally called a number of the holdouts following McCarthy's 14th loss. Whether this played a significant role in getting members to change their votes is unclear, though at least one member was seen brushing the phone away as it was handed to him.
During his first address following his election, McCarthy said, "Now the hard work begins," pledging to open investigations into President Biden and the Democratic Party.
The week-long debate, though, has cast doubt among some analysts over the ability of the GOP to effectively govern. At one point, the in-fighting between the party nearly got physical, with Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) seemingly having to be held back from attacking Gaetz after the latter's 14th vote against McCarthy.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.
-
Trump declares new tariffs on drugs, trucks, furniture
Speed Read He's putting tariffs of 25% on semi trucks, 30% on upholstered furniture, 50% on kitchen and bathroom cabinetry and 100% on certain drugs
-
Amazon reaches ‘historic’ $2.5B Prime settlement
speed read The company allegedly tricked customers into signing up for Prime membership that was then difficult to cancel
-
Trump DOJ indicts Comey, longtime Trump target
Speed Read The president is using the Justice Department to prosecute his political enemies
-
Gunman kills 1 detainee, wounds 2 at ICE facility
Speed Read A sniper shot three detainees at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office before fatally shooting himself
-
Trump DOJ reportedly rushing to indict Comey
Speed Read Former FBI Director James Comey oversaw the initial 2016 investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia
-
Man convicted of trying to assassinate Trump
Speed Read Ryan Routh tried to shoot President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course last September
-
Democrat wins Arizona seat, aiding Epstein drive
Speed Read Democrat Adelita Grijalva beat Republican businessman Daniel Butierez for the House seat in Arizona
-
Trump says Ukraine can win, UN nations ‘going to hell’
Speed Read In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly, the president criticized the UN and renewable energy, plus made a sudden pivot on the war in Ukraine